1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to an electronic device for use with a portable telephone, or the like with a function to record and reproduce a piece of music, or the like, for example. More particularly, this invention relates to an electronic device which may set a relationship between a battery remaining capacity and one or a plurality of function sections based on information of the one or the plurality of function sections which are reserved by user operation and an available time, or the like and in which functions of the respective function sections can be controlled with user""s intention reflected thereon by individually controlling the functions of the respective function sections based on the relationship thus set.
2. Description of the Related Art
In general, electronic devices may associate a battery remaining capacity with available functions. For example, when a portable telephone is in the reception standby mode, a function may be disabled with a battery remaining capacity higher than that required to make an outgoing call in consideration of the state in which the portable telephone begins to transmit radio waves since an incoming call was received.
However, the above-mentioned association may be based on an idea in which a power supply of a certain function may be stopped immediately before such function become unavailable and cannot reflect a user""s intention. Therefore, the portable telephone with a function to record and reproduce a piece of music, for example, cannot satisfy user""s request such as xe2x80x9cAlthough a music reproduction time is reduced, I would like to make a telephone call after having been listening to a piece of musicxe2x80x9d.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an electronic device in which functions of respective function sections can be controlled with a user""s intention reflected there on.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device powered by a battery and having a plurality of function sections which can function independently. This electronic device comprises a detection means for detecting a battery remaining capacity, a user operation means for selecting one or a plurality of function sections which are reserved from a plurality of function sections and inputting at least an available time of the one or the plurality of function sections, a setting means for setting a relationship between the battery remaining capacity and the available function section on the basis of operation information from the user operation means and a function control means for individually controlling functions of the plurality of function sections on the basis of the battery remaining capacity detected by the detection means and a relationship set by the setting means.
In this invention, the battery remaining capacity may be detected by the detection means. Also, a user may select one or a plurality of function sections which are reserved from a plurality of function sections by operating the user operation means. The setting means may set a relationship between the battery remaining capacity and the available function section by inputting at least an available time, or the like of the one or the plurality of function sections.
For example, the setting means may calculate a necessary current accumulated remaining capacity of the one or the plurality of function sections, and may set a relationship in which only the one or the plurality of function sections may become available if the battery remaining capacity may become below a total necessary current accumulated remaining capacity. Also, the setting means may calculate a necessary current accumulated remaining capacity of the one or the plurality of function sections, and may set a relationship in which only a functions section with a priority below a priority N (N is an integer greater than 1) if the battery remaining capacity is below a total quantity of necessary current accumulated remaining capacities of function sections with priorities up to the priority N. The setting means may calculate the necessary current accumulated remaining capacity of each function section by using input information of an available time and an available environment temperature of each function section, for example.
The functions of a plurality of function sections may be individually controlled on the basis of the relationship set by the above-mentioned setting means. For example, when the battery remaining capacity may become less than the total necessary current accumulated remaining capacity, if a relationship in which only the one or the plurality of function sections may be available, then functions of functions sections other than the one or the plurality of function sections may be disabled when the battery remaining capacity may become less than the total necessary current accumulated remaining capacity. Thus, the functions of the respective function sections can be controlled with a user""s intention reflected thereon. Therefore, it may become possible to prevent a desired available function from being disabled when the battery remaining capacity becomes insufficient since the user overused other functions.